charmelon:

gave turtel a gentle algae scrub 

(the city gets its water from the manmade lake around here, which is a cesspool of dead fish and various pond scums, so the algae struggle is real here) 

advice if you too have Algae Shell:

• it is not painful for the turt so don’t be afraid
• get a sponge (not the loofah or scrubber variety, soft yellow dollar store kind), towel/face cloth you don’t mind getting hecka grungy, and/or a very soft-bristled toothbrush
• get some water of a good mild temp
• don’t stick ‘em directly in the bathtub because A) that might have soap/shampoo/hair dye/etc residue they will not care for B) they might get spooked and clang and clunk all over the place and it’s fun for nobody
• remember that though it is hard, the shell is a tender living part of the creature you have sworn to watch o’er
• if they have any scutes (shell plates) starting to come loose, be VERY VERY GENTLE. never ever rip a partially-lifted scute off.
• scrub delicately and tenderly
• if u scrub the butt part of the shell sometimes they might do a wiggly dance